The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Helically coiled wire inserts both of tanged or tangless design can be inserted using hand tools, electrical, battery powered, or pneumatic tools. Coarse thread size inserts, such as thread sizes 4-40, 6-32, 10-24, ¼-20, etc., are relatively stiff or rigid and can be installed using a predetermined mandrel. Fine thread size inserts, however, such as for thread sizes 4-48, 6-40, 8-36, 10-32, ¼-28, etc., are commonly flexible and may not retain their shape during installation. Fine thread size inserts therefore commonly require a pre-winder to be used in conjunction with a mandrel to help reduce the outside diameter of the inserts and to align the coils of the wire insert to the correct pitch so they can be more easily installed into a tapped aperture of for example a work piece or fastener body. Pre-winders are known for use with hand tools, electric, battery operated, and/or pneumatic power tools, however known pre-winders for these tools for the installation of helically coiled inserts often also require spacers or shims to accommodate differences in insert length or installation depth. Installation of spacers or shims normally requires stocking multiple sizes of parts, with associated additional part costs, time delay in their installation, and defective parts which do not receive the properly installed insert.
The installation of spacers or shims commonly requires disassembly of the tool or prewinder followed by installation of the necessary spacers or shims. The disassembly time further adds costs and time delay to completion of the component. The tool must then be reassembled and tested with the shims and spacers installed. If proper installation depth is not achieved, the process must be repeated until the appropriate shims or inserts are installed to provide the desired coil installation depth. This repetition further increases costs and time delays.